Inari's Agent
by MorgannePhaedras
Summary: Kitty Youko is not your average kunoichi. She is a zenko, one of the god Inari's nine-tailed foxes. She has been sent to keep an eye on the Demon Fox, Kurama and his host Naruto. Though she hates the demon sealed inside him, Kitty can't help but like the irritating ninja. She just hopes that Kurama doesn't break free from his seal, or all hell will break loose.
1. Chapter 1

_I never know what to say in these little headers. C'est la vie, you'll hear that alot from me. Ooo, Imma poet and I didn't even know it! *Hangs head in shame* Here's the chapter and please leave a review._

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Chapter 1: Into the Leaves

There it was, the great Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konohagakure. A few years ago, it was nearly destroyed by Kurama, the Demon Fox. I never liked him, putting the "nine-tailed fox" name to shame. When I heard he had been sealed, I jumped for joy. Unfortunately, I was attending Master Inari's function.

You see, I too am a nine-tailed fox. Before you say anything, however, I'm not a yako like Kurama. I'm a zenko, one who serves the god, Inari. As punishment for disrupting my master's soiree, Inari charged me with keeping an eye on Kurama's host. Just when I thought I'd never have to see him again, I have to check up on his host regularly!

So here I am, four years since that day in front of Konoha's gates. During the past four years, I kept my eye on that little rascal Naruto. I watched him grow from the sidelines. And, I saw the looks of barely disguised hatred the previous generation gave him. My heart ached for the babe, knowing that as he grew, other children his age would come to despise him as their elders did. He showed absolutely no sign of turning into the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

He was just a little boy who had the burden of bearing the fox-like his mother and grandfather before him. Today, on the fourth year of Kurama's imprisonment, I disguised myself as a seven-year old girl who at least bore some resemblance to my beautiful, natural form.

I gave myself long gold-colored tresses and kept my bright silver eyes. When they don human form, all kitsune, save for Kurama, have a face that is considered beautiful by mortals. High cheekbones and thin noses are the norm, you'll rarely see a humanized kitsune with facial disfigurement unless they thought it necessary to ugly themselves. _I know we're pretty vain, right?_

I steeled myself and marched up to the gates, glad that I remembered to put on "clothes" when I transformed. I didn't wait long before two shinobi appeared, presumably back from their break. One had a white strip of cloth wrapping over his nose and cheeks and the other had his half of his face covered by his bangs.

Nose Strip knelt in front of me and asked, "Now what is an adorable little girl doing outside of the village?" He gave my cheeks a pinch, completely ignorant of the death glare I was giving him.

"Would you be so kind as to stop, it's quite annoying," my tone of voice, though high-pitched like a young girl's, sounded like someone many times my age, and gave the gate guards a nasty shock. "I mean, will you take me to Lord Hokage please? I'm not from around here and I've nowhere else to turn to," I amended, giving them the full force of my big eyes. Though I felt sick from having to use the "cutesy tactic," so to speak.

"Naturally, everyone sees Lord Hokage when they first visit. But . . . ," the other one paused and his partner jumped in, "What do you mean, 'nowhere else to go'?"

"Umm . . . you see . . .," _I'm toast!_ Then it hit me, "My village was destroyed a little while ago and everyone left." My voice started to choke up for this next bit, "My mom and daddy died, and I went to live with my uncle in a town nearby," tears leaked from my eyes, and I got ready for the big finish, "only, I hated living with him and he did very, very bad things to me and I couldn't take it anymore and I . . . I . . . ," Sobs racked my body so hard, I had trouble standing.

You learn a trick or two when you get to be as old as I am and every woman needs to know how to release the floodgates on command. The ninjas looked at each other, ready to start crying themselves. Their eyes were positively swimming with tears, no lie!

"We - We'll take you to see the 3rd now," Half Face said, nose dripping. Inwardly, I was shouting at them for taking my story to heart so much. What if I were someone with malicious intentions? I just nodded, it was too soon for me to stop crying and still be believable.

A few moments later, I had regained my composure and dried my face with the sleeve of my dress. I smiled at the two men and slid my hand into Half Face's and said, "My name's Kitty, Kitty Youko."

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_First Chapter Complete!_

_Next Time: Kitty looks around Konoha and sees Naruto all by his lonesome and nearly gives the Third a heart attack!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Time for the next chapter! But first, I'd like to thank a few people. My first shout out goes out to Sinister Bowser for being the first to favorite and for following my story! Thank you SO muh! XDDD My next shout out goes to sparrowhawk13 for being the first to follow Inari's Agent! XDD_

_Don't forget to review!_

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Chapter 2: Budding Leaf on an Old Branch

Later on, I found that Nose Strip's name was Kotetsu and his partner, the one whose bangs covered his eye, Izumo. Overall, they were quite nice, (although if they saw the real me they would cower in fear). Even if Kotetsu and Izumo's company was enjoyable, the tour they gave me of their lovely little village was rather lackluster. The only places I knew I would be spending much of my time were the Library and the Academy where I, hopefully, would be attending school to keep an eye on Naruto.

At one point, we were strolling past a building with a large yard and an old tree. Sitting underneath in the swing that hung there, was a blonde haired boy with his head down. "Izumo, who's that boy over there?" I asked and pointed, despite knowing who Naruto was, "Why is he all alone?"

Izumo looked over where I was pointing and shook his head, "That's just Uzumaki Naruto. It's best you don't go near him when the 3rd lets you stay, Kitty."

Rather than drop it, I kept up the persistently curious lolita act, "But, why Izumo?"

Kotetsu spoke up this time, "We are not allowed to talk about it, none of the adults are. So quit asking!"

I flinched at his harshness. He didn't have to be so rude! Yeah I already knew about Naruto, but it would seem strange for a little girl not to be overly curious. "Oh, okay," I stared at my feet.

I heard a sigh leave Kotetsu's body, "You'll find out sooner or later. I just hope he turns later."

I rolled my eyes at his words, there is no way Naruto would give in to Kurama. At least, I hoped that that would be the case. It turns out that the Hokage's office was in the adminstrative part of the Academy. Our little group went inside and my palms began to sweat. The Hokage is a very smart man, what if he sees right through me? My head began to spin with 'what ifs' and before I knew it, Izumo and Kotetsu pushed me into the 3rd's waiting room.

My stomach had hordes of bats fluttering around inside and having to face the person who decided whether or not I'd be able to familiarize with Naruto and keep Kurama from ultimately destroying the boy in his bid for freedom. Just as I readied my self to enter the village, I steadied my nerves and pushed into Lord Hokage's office.

To be honest, in all that time I spent watching Naruto, I never once encountered the 3rd Hokage. Well, now was a good time as any. The 3rd sat behind his desk, like always, in his robes of office. People weren't kidding when they said he was old, his wrinkles left a detailed map of the life he led.

I cleared my throat to get his attention. He was too wrapped up in running Konoha to notice. "Lord Hokage?" That got his attention. In fact, he just about had a heart attack there and then!

"Heavens, girl! Don't scare me like that!" If my reason for being there hadn't been dependent on his decision, I would laughed there and then.

"I apologize, Lord Hokage. I didn't mean to startle you so," I bowed to him with respect, dropping my "accent" per se. "My name's Kitty Youko, and I have a request to beg of you."

He blinked with surprise, "What is it that you need, child?"

Breathe in, "I would like to join the Academy and learn to be a ninja." Hold breath and . . .

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_Ain't I a stinker? :D_

_Next Time: Will Lord Hokage grant Kitty's request? _

_Stay tuned!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh, I'm so happy! A new follower that like my story so much in it's infant stages as to favorite it! Give it up for, shadowdragonspirit! And thank you, ChilledKitsune, Pikapikabikapika, and SakuraHarunaFan for following!_

_Be sure to review!_

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Chapter 3: A Willow among Oaks

I waited with bated breath for the 3rd's reply. What felt like an eternity must have actually been a minute. At the most! I'm normally patient but the pressure was getting to be too much! I was nearly ready to walk straight out the door, when, "Of course you can my dear."

I drew in a breath of surprise and discovered I couldn't with my lungs still full, so it turned into a coughing fit. The Hokage, the kind man he is, called for a glass of water and patted my back until the hiccoughs left my body and I could breathe properly. "You're not going to interrogate me to discover my intentions?" I asked, disbelieving. If it was going to be this easy, I needn't have bothered working myself into a tizzy.

"Of course not! Dear girl, whatever possessed you to think that?" he asked with a laugh. I liked his laugh, it made me want to laugh with him.

Smiling up at him, I replied, "Well not so much as possession as my mission." Too late, I realized my mistake. I gave away not all was as it seemed! And to make things worse, the 3rd picked up on it and became very serious.

"Oh?" Hokage raised an eyebrow, "What mission is that?"

There was no avoiding the situtation. As the leader of the village, Lord Hokage had a right to know the truth. "Umm, well you see," I mumbled shyly, sweat trickling down my neck. *sigh* "I'm not really a little girl."

"Yes, I could tell as much from your mannerisms. So, if you aren't a little girl, then what are you?"

*sigh* I felt like I'd been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. Quite ironic considering my outward age, yet still appropriate. "I've been sent to keep an eye on Kurama and his host." Hokage's eyebrow was still raised, high as a flag on a ship. "I'm truly a nine-tailed fox in service to the god Inari and for disrupting his business on the day that idiot Demon Fox was sealed, he charged me with watching Naruto and making sure Kurama didn't break free from his chains and destroy everything." I word-vomited.

It actually felt good to let someone know, although I hoped Inari wouldn't be too mad, considering it was supposed to be a top secret mission. As in, no humans could know! The Hokage reacted in the strangest way. No, he didn't get angry or anything really. He just said, "Really? That's it?"

My jaw fell to the floor, completely shell-shocked. I recovered enough to close my mouth as he sat down behind his desk, When did he get over there? "What do mean 'is that it'? 'That' as you so bluntly put it, is all that may keep you all from being annhiliated should Kurama win his freedom!" I cried incredulously.

"Yes, that's correct. Oh and in answer to your request earlier, you will be placed in Naruto's class. You would have been put there anyway, despite whether or not you had told me the truth. And you will be staying with one of our Jounin until you appear old enough to be able to care for your own needs. That'll be all."

Once more, you could hear my jaw hit the ground. I scrambled to pick it back up. I'd never met a human who surprised me as much as Lord Hokage. "Thank you so much! I promise that I will work hard to earn your immense trust!" I scurried out of his office, leaving him, chuckling, to his work.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi guys! Sorry for the wait, but Kitty just barely started talking to me. Alright, let's look at the reviews!_

_SakuraHarunaFan: I'm glad you like it. Kitty has a little bit of me in her but she's her own person, I can't wait until you see more of her._  
_dragonblaze66: Yes, the picture for the story is supposed to be Kitty herself, or at least the best representation of her I could find._

_Tyber Zahn: I'm happy that I've appealed to your curiosity. I like to think that the characters I introduce already exist, it's just a matter of them telling me their story._

_Hi ho, Silver! Away!_

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Chapter 4: Wind Beneath the Willow

After leaving the Hokage's office, everything became a blur. Just outside the door, a 20-something guy was standing around, reading something called Make Out Paradise.

Anyway, apparently, he was the jounin assigned to look after me until I graduated from the Academy. I cleared my throat to get his attention. Nothing. _Must be a good book_, I thought dryly. "Hello? Anyone home?" I spoke up and still nothing.

My left eye started twitching. I'm millenia old, but 7 year old human bodies are not designed for being patient. Normally, I would have ripped the book out of his hands, but considering he's more than twice my height, I'd have to resort to less drastic measures.

I did everything I could from banging cymbals and making all kinds of noise. _Call yourself a ninja_, I thought darkly,_ if this is how you are on missions, it's a wonder you're still alive_. In the end, I just waited for him to finish. At this point, the sun had reached its peak and I sighed, hopefully killing a penguin somewhere. (Strange birds they are).

The ninja in front of me snapped his book such and looked down at me, "Where have you been?" he asked.

I sweatdropped and fell flat on the floor. "That's it! I'm DONE! I've been trying to get your attention for the past two HOURS!" I yelled up at him, sitting up. I saw the book still in his hand. "What book could possibly be so intriguing that you'd completely block out your surroundings!"

I snatched that stupid book from him and flipped it open to a random page and read a snippet. I felt my face get extremely warm and my eyes started to burn. A choking sound escaped my throat and I threw the offending object back at my caretaker.

"Well, that'll teach ya not to be so curious now won't it?" He smiled down at my crimson face. I let my bangs overshadow my eyes and nodded, not saying one word for fear of being turned against me. "Now that that's out of the way, I do believe and introduction is order," he said, "I'm Kakashi Hatake and I'll be making sure you stay out of trouble for a while, and you are?"

"Kitty, Kitty Youko," I grumbled, my features began to return to their normal coloring.

"Well Ms. Youko, now that your curiosity is satisfied, do you want to start class?" Kakashi asked me.

I thought it over, go home or stick around and get started with my education. It's a no-brainer, I started school.

After mine and Kakashi's altercation, then things really started to pick up. We got me all registered up and my sensei for the next few years would be someone called Iruka Umino. (Not sure if that's right, but I hope it is) Once I was enrolled, Kakashi deposited me in front of my class and walked out of the room. I swallowed my nerves and introduced myself to the class.

"Hi, umm, my name's Kitty Youko. I'm seven years old and just moved to Konoha from my old village. I like reading and playing mind games," I said, nervously. Don't judge me, those brats were doing that enough, thank you!

Iruka smiled at me, "Thank you for the introduction, now where would you like to sit?" All of a sudden the class erupted. Almost every single boy in the class, shockingly, wanted me to sit next to them, while a lot of the girls gathered protectively in front of this dark haired kid which looked like a duck's rear end.

If my past experiences as a human are anything to go by, seven year old should not be thinking romantically at this point in their lives, but times change.

"If you don't mind, I'll just sit in the back next to that blonde kid," I said, drops of sweat running down my neck. Just as quickly as the kids in that class had gotten loud, they all fell silent. The blonde kid, whom I knew to be Naruto stared at me in shock and disbelief.

Iruka sweat dropped, "Are you sure? We can sit you closer to the front?" He asked me, appearing as if he was trying to change my mind. But at that point, I was already sitting next to Naruto.

"Nope, here's perfect." I turned to Naruto and smiled, "Hi, I'm Kitty and you are?"

What can I say, I love surprising people.

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_Well? Tell me what you think! Go ahead, type your thoughts in that handy little box below, and I'll be sure to reply in the next chapter!_

_Until then, ciao!_


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